If you work in HR, ops, or comms, you’ve probably rolled your eyes at these before. You know they’re not true. But here’s the frustrating part: leaders still say them. And when they do, it makes building the business case for better frontline communication ten times harder.

So, let’s call them out. And let’s back it up with the data.

Myth 1: Frontline workers are expendable and easy to replace

We hear this way too often, and you know it’s wrong.

When frontline workers leave, it’s not just about finding a replacement. It’s about lost productivity, broken customer experiences, and staggering costs.

Just think about the following examples:

• Replacing a single frontline worker can cost anywhere from $4,000 to $66,000, depending on industry and role. These costs include recruitment, training, onboarding, and productivity loss while new workers ramp up.
• For the U.S. economy, frontline turnover costs add up to over $600 billion annually, mostly due to lost revenue, inefficiency, and rehiring expenses.
• Companies with high turnover often see drops in customer satisfaction as new workers struggle to deliver consistent experiences, leading to lost sales and reputational damage.
• Burnout increases among remaining staff, who must take on extra work—further risking more resignations and compounding costs.

So no, they’re not “easy to replace.” They’re expensive to lose.

Myth 2: Frontline workers aren’t invested in their careers

This one lingers in boardrooms, but it doesn’t match reality.

Frontline teams care deeply about recognition, growth, and business performance. They know their work drives the company forward — and they want a future in it.

The problem? They don’t always know what opportunities exist.

And there is data available that backs this up too:

• Lack of career development is a top-three reason frontline workers quit.
• In 2025, 41% of frontline employees who considered leaving cited the absence of career advancement opportunities as their primary motivation for quitting—making it one of the most consistent and significant drivers of attrition across frontline sectors. 
• Nearly half (48%) of frontline workers feel there's no path for progression at their current company, and among demotivated employees, limited career growth is frequently blamed for apathy and disengagement.
• 64% of frontline workers would stay up to six more years if they had advancement opportunities.

So when someone says, “They’ll leave for an extra dollar an hour,” the answer is: “Not if they see a career path here.” And that career path only exists if you communicate it.

Myth 3: Internal comms is just ‘corporate fluff’ — it doesn’t impact the bottom line

You’ve probably heard this dismissal before: “Comms is nice, but it doesn’t drive results.”

Here’s the data that proves otherwise:

• Companies with effective internal comms enjoy 4.5x higher retention rates.
• They see 30% higher engagement, 12x higher job satisfaction, and 25% higher productivity.

For frontline teams, it’s even more immediate. Clear, consistent comms mean safer shifts, smoother handovers, and fewer compliance violations. Those are measurable outcomes — and they land directly on the bottom line.

Myth 4: You have to convince frontline workers to use their phones for work

This one feels outdated, but it still pops up.

Reality check: frontline employees are already on their phones. It’s how they access the internet, communicate with family, and manage their lives.

And it’s not just us saying it, here’s what data says:

• 84% of frontline workers actually prefer to access company communications and training on their own phones, with 4 out of 5 willing to use a personal device for work if it makes their job easier.
• 46% of frontline workers lack access to corporate email, and 62% have no workplace computer access, which makes mobile phones critical for staying connected and informed.
• Nearly 37% of frontline workers say fragmented or delayed updates disrupt their daily tasks, which could be mitigated with better mobile-first communication tools.
• Frontline workers spend significant screen time on phones generally—averaging 4 hours 37 minutes per day checking their smartphones 58 times daily—with many phone checks occurring during work hours (52%).

So the issue isn’t whether they’ll use their phones. The issue is whether you’re giving them a tool that’s useful, secure, and respectful of their time.

Myth 5: Improving communication is too expensive

This one gets thrown around whenever the budget comes up. But the numbers tell a different story.

Case in point: one large hospitality company rolled out Speakap and tracked results after one year. Here’s what they found:

• They saved 157 jobs, which translated to nearly $400,000 in recruiting and training costs.
• Meeting time dropped by 15 minutes per day — which in a customer-facing business means more time delighting guests.
• Onboarding shrank from two shifts to one and a half, saving another $600,000.

Total: over a million dollars in savings. ROI in a matter of weeks.

So yes, communication costs money. But disengagement costs more.

If you want to learn more about busting frontline comms myths

These five myths were just one section of a webinar we hosted recently with Lynn Zimmerman and Daren Jennings. In the recording, Lynn and Daren break down each one with data on turnover, safety, and productivity — and show you how to reframe the conversation in ROI terms.

 https://youtu.be/t1p4AHQWh_U

The real cost of believing the myths

These myths aren’t harmless. They block investment in the very thing that drives retention, productivity, and safety.

So the next time you hear one of them, push back with proof:

• Turnover costs more than communication.
• Workers want careers — they just need to see them.
• Comms drives measurable results.
• Mobile is already the norm.
• The cost of doing nothing is the real budget killer.

Because once you cut through the myths, it gets a lot easier to make the case for change.

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